Artificial marble used as architectural materials may be classified into two groups according to the base resin material. One group represents acrylic artificial marble, and the other group represents unsaturated polyester artificial marble. Acrylic artificial marble has found wide utilization as a material for kitchen countertops, wash basins, dressing tables, bathtubs, various table surfaces, wall materials, interior articles, and the like, because it has an excellent appearance, high-gloss texture, and good weather resistance, as compared to unsaturated polyester artificial marble. Generally, acrylic artificial marble is prepared by mixing inorganic filler and initiator and adding marble chips of various colors to provide a natural stone texture.
Various patterns can be developed so that artificial marble has an appearance that is similar to natural stone. However, it can be difficult to use artificial marble as exterior finishing materials because of gloss and low weather resistance imparted thereto by the base resin, which includes an organic material. For example, conventional engineered stone has poor weather resistance because it includes an organic binder, and general cement stone may have poor chemical resistance, such as susceptibility to acidic rain, because it has a high surface pH.